Eyewash fountain with integral nozzles

ABSTRACT

An eyewash fountain especially useful in industrial and laboratory environments to provide a water discharge suitable for flushing irritants from the eyes of a workman. The fountain includes a bowl having a pair of upwardly and inwardly facing nozzles through which an eye-bathing flow of water can be discharged for so flushing the eyes of a workman. A valve connected in the water supply line controls the flow of water to the nozzles, and operating mechanism associated with the valve selectively opens and closes the same. The operating mechanism includes activators located along opposite sides of the bowl and essentially forming a part of the exterior surface thereof, and such activators can be operated to open the valve by a slight downward pressure as by leaning thereon with the hands, forearms, or elbows.

waited States Patent [72] Inventor Allen C. Wright Moraga, Calif. [21] Appl. No. 880,669 [22] Filed Nov. 28, 1969 [45] Patented Dec. 28,1971 [73] Assignee Haws Drinking Faucet Company Berkeley, Calif.

[54] EYEWASH FOUNTAIN WITH INTEGRAL NOZZLES 4 Claims, 7 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl .4 4/166, 239/543, 239/590.3 [51] Int. Cl A47k1/04 [50] Field of Search 239/28, 29, 30, 29.3, 543, 544; 4/166; 128/249 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,482,960 9/1949 Benson 239/543 X 2,775,774 l/1957 Logan 4/166 1 3,090,050 5/1963 Fraser et a1. 4/166 3,413,660 12/1968 Lagarcllietal. 239/543X 3,428,258 2/1969 Duggan 239/5903 FOREIGN PATENTS 671,320 4/1952 GreatBritain 4/166 Primary ExaminerM. Henson Wood, .lr. Assistant Examiner-John J. Love Attorney.loseph B. Gardner ABSTRACT: An eyewash fountain especially useful in industrial and laboratory environments to provide a water discharge suitable for flushing irritants from the eyes ofa workman. The fountain includes a bowl having a pair of upwardly and inwardly facing nozzles through which an eye-bathing flow of water can be discharged for so flushing the eyes ofa workman. A valve connected in the water supply line controls the flow of water to the nozzles, and operating mechanism associated with the valve selectively opens and closes the same. The operating mechanism includes activators located along opposite sides of the bowl and essentially forming a part of the exterior surface thereof, and such activators can be operated to open the valve by a slight downward pressure as by leaning thereon with the hands, forearms, or elbows.

PATENIEB maze an SHEET 1 BF 2 PATENTEB M028 mi 31 293375 SHEET 2 [IF 2 INVENTOF? ALLE/V C. WR/GHT BY; (6/

ATTORNEY EYEWASH FOUNTAIN WITH INTEGRAL NOZZLES This invention relates to water fountains and the like, and more particularly to an eyewash fountain equipped with a nozzle structure through which an eye-bathing flow of water can be discharged for the purpose of flushing irritants from the eyes of a workman.

In certain factories, other industrial locations, laboratories and elsewhere, gaseous fumes, liquids and sometimes solid materials are present which can irritate or injure the eyes if exposed thereto; and at such environments it is common to use eyewash fountains that provide a spray of water suitable for flushing such matter from the eyes by flooding the same with water. An object of the present invention is to provide an improved eyewash fountain of the general type noted.

Another object of the invention is in the provision of an eyewash fountain that is readily operated by a person substantially or partially blinded by an eye irritant so that such a person can more readily and effectively operate the fountain.

Still another object is that of providing an improved eyewash fountain in which the supply of water thereto is controlled by a slight downward pressure of a hand, forearm, or elbow, so that one desiring to wash his eyes in an emergency does not have to grope for a valve handle and operate the fountain in the usual manner.

A further object of he invention is to provide an eyewash fountain that is relatively inexpensive and easy to install so that plants or laboratories where eye irritants are apt to be encountered will install more of them with the result that such fountains can be more conveniently located to personnel likely to have use thereof.

Yet a further object is in the provision of an eyewash fountain that is advantageously constructed of plastic; in which the bowl or basin is equipped with integral nozzles located at the sides of the bowl and directly inwardly and upwardly so that water issuing therefrom will strike the face and particularly the eyes of a person bending over the bowl, and is further equipped with integral flow passages within the bowl so that the only installation procedure required is to connect a small supply hose to the inlet of the fountain and a drain hose to the outlet therefrom; and in which a flow control valve is equipped with activators or levers operated by application of a downward force thereto such as by leaning thereon.

As the specification continues, additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent especially as the particular features and details thereof are considered in connection with the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an eyewash fountain embodying the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a front view in elevation of the fountain shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the fountain shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, taken along a longitudinal plane intersecting the supply conduit and nozzles, such as along the plane indicated by the line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the fountain;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the center of the basin taken on a plane at right angles to that of FIG. 3, such as that indicated by the lines 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a detail on an enlarged scale of a suitable linkage for operating the fountain valve, the view being taken along the plane indicated by the line 66 of FIG. 4, and showing the mechanism in the inoperative or valve closed" position; and

FIG. 7 is the mechanism of FIG. 6 shown in an operated or valve open position.

It should perhaps be noted at the outset that in the instant specification, the front of the fountain or basin 11 will refer to that portion thereof which would be closest to a person standing at the fountain to use the same to wash his eyes and is facing forwardly as seen in FIG. 2; and the back will refer to the opposite or higher portion which could conveniently be placed adjacent a wall or other suitable support. In this orientation, the nozzles and valve control levers, each to be more fully described hereafter, are disposed to the right and left of the front, and while located along the longest axis of the fountain, are sometimes hereinafter referred to as being at the sides of the fountain rather than at the ends thereof.

The fountain ll of the present invention may be formed of one of the many synthetic plastic materials now in use, as such a material is lightweight, inexpensive and readily molded. In the form shown the fountain 11 is comprised of three components which may be individual moldings and include a frame or cover 12 of suitable shape, such as one similar to an oval washbasin with the back slightly flattened, as shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 5. Affixed to the inside of the cover 12 is a bowl or basin member 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 5) formed with integral flanges 14 so that it may be cemented, or otherwise bonded, to the cover member 12. The basin member 13 is formed with a pair of integral nozzles 15 which most readily are configurated as protuberances at each side of the basin member, as is shown particularly in FIGS. 3 and 5, the top of the protuberances 15 being provided with a plurality of holes or apertures 16. The nozzles 15 are formed with one plane surface directed slightly forwardly and inwardly, as shown in FIGS. 2, 3, and 5. The basin member 13 is also provided with a plurality of drain holes or openings 17 in the bottom portion thereof.

The third component of the basin 11 is a lower or drain and water supply forming member 20 (see FIGS. 3 and 4 and 5) cemented or otherwise bonded or chemically welded to the under surface of the basin 13 to form the inlet into and drain therefrom. The passage-forming member 20 is curved to fit tightly against the bottom of the basin member 13, and it is provided with a peripheral flange 21 for readily bonding the member to the bottom side of the basin member 13. This bottom member 20 is formed with an integral drain conduit 22 which preferably is a cylindrical member adapted to receive a large plastic drain hose (not shown) that carries the discharge to waste. The bottom member 20 is also provided with a transverse ridge 23 which forms an inlet passageway 24 leading from an inlet orifice 25 to the two nozzles 15. This construction requires a flange section 26 (FIG. 5) which will abut the bottom of the basin member 13 and be likewise cemented thereto to provide a leakproof inlet passageway 24. A suitable hose 27, relatively small in size, can be attached to the inlet 25 to conduct a flow of water from an inlet valve 30 to the inlet 25, as is best shown in FIG. 4.

As is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cover member is formed with a substantially oval shape (plan view) and a rounded or arcuate upper surface. The basin member 13 is likewise of convex generally rounded shape, as best shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, so that the entire assembly can be kept clean and sanitary and the water entering through the eyewashing nozzles 15 will readily drain from the basin through the outlet openings 17.

The inlet valve 30 (see FIG. 4) need not be described in detail since it may be considered to be a standard component for purposes of marketing the present invention. However, a specific example of a valve used with considerable success is the rotary embodiment of the valve structures disclosed in my copending application, Ser. No. 875,873, filed Nov. 12, 1969. As respects the present invention, it should suffice to say that slight rotation or angular displacement of a control shaft 31 passing through the valve 30 moves the valve element thereof from a fully closed to a fully open position. Water, or other cleansing fluid, can be delivered under pressure to the valve from a suitable supply via an inlet hose 32, and the water will pass through an outlet orifice 33 and hose 27 connected therewith to the two branches of the conduit 24 leading to the two nozzles 15. The control shaft 31 is suitably journaled adjacent the ends thereof in bearing members or supports 34 (FIGS. 3 and 4) formed at opposite sides of the cover member 12.

Movement of the shaft 31 is controlled by a pair of activators or push plates 36 which respectively are nested in depressions 35 (FIG. 3) formed at the sides of the cover or frame member 12. A pair of push plates, one at each side, are provided so that the fountain can be activated from either the right or the left side. Each push plate 36 is mounted upon a push rod 37 which is slidably mounted in the support 34 previ ously mentioned. An arm 38 is rigidly secured to the lower end of the rod 37, as is best shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, and it curves upwardly and rearwardly so as to fit between the bifurcated free end of an arm 40 fixedly clamped on the valve control shaft 31. The free end of the arm 40 is slotted and the arm 38 is pivotally secured thereto by a pin 39 displaceable along the slot of the arm 40. Thus, a downward force exerted against either or both of the push plates 36 moves the rod 37 from the upper position shown in FIG. 6 to the lower position shown in FIG. 7, and consequently rocks or angularly displaces the valve control shaft 31 in a clockwise direction to open the inlet valve and permit the flow of water from the inlet hose 32 to the passageway 24, and therethrough to both of the nozzles 15.

The activator plates 36, control rod 31, and associated structure including the valve 30 remain either in the raised inoperative or valve-closed position or in the lower operative or valve-open position after being manually displaced thereinto. That is to say, the push plates 36 are ordinarily in the raised positions thereof shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, and remain therein until a workman pushes the plates downwardly whereupon they remain in the depressed position with water discharging from the spray nozzles 15, thereby freeing the hands of the workman for other purposes. After he finishes with the fountain, the plates 36 are raised to terminate the water discharge.

It may be noted in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 that the perimetric frame member 13 is recessed or depressed slightly, as shown at 41, beneath each of the plates 36 to provide space for insertion of one or more fingers thereinto below the plates to facilitate lifting them. There is sufficient frictional inhibition to movement in the system to maintain the valve 30 and associated components in both the open and closed positions; such friction being the valve itself, defined between the rods 37 and respective supports 34, and in the linkage generally.

It is desired that each spray nozzle 15 provide a largevolume, soft, featherlike flow of water suitable for flooding a workmans eye to flush injurious matter therefrom. In this respect and as seen best in FIG. 3, each nozzle 15 has a relatively large chamber, interposed between the nozzle apertures 16 and supply passage 24, and the chamber 42 may be filled with a cellular body 43 of nonabsorptive, form-retaining material (FIG. 3) having open cellular interstices interconnected one with another to define myriad random flow paths through the body accommodating the movement of water therethrough. Such body of material in association with apertures 16 in the spray nozzles 15 results in the desired spray discharge as disclosed in detail in my copending application Ser. No. 808,843, filed Mar. 20, 1969. In any case, however, the large chamber 42 associated with each nozzle 15 reduces the pressure of the water delivered thereinto so as to provide a soft discharge of water from the nozzle. Also, in eyewash and other water fountains, it is customary to use flow control devices to provide a relatively uniform water discharge irrespective of variations in the supply pressure serving the fountain.

It will be readily apparent that the fountain of the present invention can be installed in any suitable location by merely connecting a hose 32 from any suitable water supply to the control valve 30 and by connecting a hose (shown by broken lines in FIG. 2) over the drain 22 which leads to some suitable disposal conduit. The fountain can be mounted by any suitable means, such as by means of brackets (not shown) affixed to a wall or other supporting member and fasteners threaded through a pair of mounting apertures 45 (see FIG. 3).

It will be understood that the drawings and foregoing description relate to the preferred embodiment of my invention, and that modifications will occur to those skilled in the art which will not depart from the invention herein disclosed. For example, the fountain may be made from molded plastic as indicated, but it is obvious that it could be manufactured from cast or stamped metal as well as from vitreous and other materials. Also, although a rotary valve 30 is used for controlling the flow of water to the fountain, other types of valves could be used with any necessary modification of the operating linkage controlling movement thereof. Accordingly, it is intended that the appended claims cover such modifications as fall within the true spirit and concept of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An eyewash fountain or the like, comprising: a generally concave bowl having a drain opening adjacent the bottom thereof through which liquid is removed and having also a raised nozzle integral with said bowl within the concavity thereof and being oriented and positioned to provide an upwardly and inwardly directed stream of eye-flushing liquid, said raised nozzle projecting inwardly from the surface of said bowl and defining a relatively large chamber, flow passage means connected with said nozzle and large chamber to supply liquid thereto from a supply source, a control valve connected with said flow passage means for controlling liquid flow therethrough, perimetric frame structure bordering said bowl along the outer upper edges thereof and being fixedly secured thereto, said frame structure having a recess disposed in the outer upper surface thereof, a manually depressible push plate located within said recess and effectively defining a continuation of the adjacent surfaces of said frame structure and being displaceable with respect thereto between an outer inoperative position and an inner operative position, and linkage interconnecting said push plate and valve for operating the latter in response to displacements of the former.

2. The fountain of claim 1 in which said bowl is equipped with a pair of said nozzles each integral with the bowl within the concavity thereof and being oriented and positioned to provide an upwardly and inwardly directed stream of eyeflushing liquid and being raised so as to project upwardly from the surface of the bowl and defining a relatively large chamber connected with said flow passage means, all as aforesaid.

3. The fountain of claim 1 in which said frame structure has a pair of the aforesaid recesses disposed in the outer surface thereof along opposite sides of said fountain, and a pair of push plates respectively disposed in said recesses and effectively defining a continuation of the adjacent surfaces of said frame structure and being displaceable with respect thereto between inoperative and operative positions, as aforesaid, said linkage interconnecting each of said push plates and valve for operating the latter in response to manual displacements of either of the former.

4. The fountain of claim 3 in which said bowl is equipped with a pair of said nozzles each integral with the bowl within the concavity thereof and being oriented and positioned to provide an upwardly and inwardly directed stream of eyeflushing liquid and being raised so as to project upwardly from the surface of the bowl and defining a relatively large chamber connected with said flow passage means, all as aforesaid.

* i i i 

1. An eyewash fountain or the like, comprising: a generally concave bowl having a drain opening adjacent the bottom thereof through which liquid is removed and having also a raised nozzle integral with said bowl within the concavity thereof and being oriented and positioned to provide an upwardly and inwardly directed stream of eye-flushing liquid, said raised nozzle projecting inwardly from the surface of said bowl and defining a relatively large chamber, flow passage means connected with said nozzle and large chamber to supply liquid thereto from a supply source, a control valve connected with said flow passage means for controlling liquid flow therethrough, perimetric frame structure bordering said bowl along the outer upper edges thereof and being fixedly secured thereto, said frame structure having a recess disposed in the outer upper surface thereof, a manually depressible push plate located within said recess and effectively defining a continuation of the adjacent surfaces of said frame structure and being displaceable with respect thereto between an outer inoperative position and an inner operative position, and linkage interconnecting said push plate and valve for operating the latter in response to displacements of the former.
 2. The fountain of claim 1 in which said bowl is equipped with a Pair of said nozzles each integral with the bowl within the concavity thereof and being oriented and positioned to provide an upwardly and inwardly directed stream of eye-flushing liquid and being raised so as to project upwardly from the surface of the bowl and defining a relatively large chamber connected with said flow passage means, all as aforesaid.
 3. The fountain of claim 1 in which said frame structure has a pair of the aforesaid recesses disposed in the outer surface thereof along opposite sides of said fountain, and a pair of push plates respectively disposed in said recesses and effectively defining a continuation of the adjacent surfaces of said frame structure and being displaceable with respect thereto between inoperative and operative positions, as aforesaid, said linkage interconnecting each of said push plates and valve for operating the latter in response to manual displacements of either of the former.
 4. The fountain of claim 3 in which said bowl is equipped with a pair of said nozzles each integral with the bowl within the concavity thereof and being oriented and positioned to provide an upwardly and inwardly directed stream of eye-flushing liquid and being raised so as to project upwardly from the surface of the bowl and defining a relatively large chamber connected with said flow passage means, all as aforesaid. 